The Four Points
by Crystalmoon217
Summary: Sequel to Atlantis Falling. Several years after their marriage Van and Hitomi's child is kidnapped, followed by Folken's, and other world leaders. Who would do such a horrible thing and why?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: As with all other fics now on fanfiction.net this a fanfiction based on the work of some one else. Obviously I don't own any of the documents or programs that this is based on.  
  
Author's note: This fiction is the sequel to my first fanfiction ever: Atlantis Falling, which no one had really read. If you haven't read it you really won't get this fic. So if you're truly interested I suggest you go read that one first then come back to this one later, K?  
  
P.S. Don't forget to review! I cannot live without reviews! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!!  
  
  
  
The Four Points Prologue  
  
It was about a year since Atlantis had fallen into the Mystic Valley guided by Atlantis in human form. Despite all the trade sanctions placed on Zaibach by pretty much all the countries in the world it stubbornly continued to flourish under the direction of King Isaac and his wife, Queen Fortuna.  
  
King Isaac of Zaibach had been trying to forge an alliance with Fanelia, one of the major world powers of Gaea now, for several months but Van had stubbornly refused. King Isaac had sent dozens of letters that always went unopened and dozens of messengers that were always turned away before they spoke a word to King Van.  
  
Eventually, however, Queen Hitomi of Fanelia managed to convince King Van to at least read one of the letters. It begged him humbly to allow King Isaac to visit Fanelia to discuss the forging of an alliance and the resuming of trade between the two countries.  
  
Most people suspect that Van would have refused yet again and torn the letter to pieces if not for more urging from his wife. A few of the castle servants claimed they had seen Queen Hitomi slap him and others said they had heard her shout that she would never speak to him again if he didn't stop being so stupidly stubborn.  
  
After King Van agreed to let King Isaac of Zaibach into his country, he convinced his brother, King Folken of Atlantis, and Queen Eries of Asturia (made Queen after Princess Millerna resigned to pursue personal goals) to come to his country as well where they could discuss the forging of one great alliance between all four of Gaea's major world powers (Atlantis though small was in the middle of many trade routes, giving it power, and it's citizens were the only people still capable of calling on the power of Atlantis, due to the incident with Zaibach 2 years ago).  
  
In about two months King Isaac, Queen Eries, and King Folken returned to their respective countries, having succeeded in drawing up an agreement. It bound all of the countries to help the others if any other country attacked them, the countries were required to be peaceful with ALL countries in the world unless attacked first, and it also stated that the countries build a network of trade routes between the four countries. It ordered the countries to help each other in times of political instability. The agreement was soon being called the Four Points Treaty, and it was good for just about every country in the world. If it succeeded Gaea would remain peaceful for many years to come, if it failed Gaea would be involved in another Great War.  
  
There were a few people who wanted to keep the treaty from going through but that happens with almost all political agreements and they were given no credibility.  
  
A year and a half after the fall of Atlantis, two and a half years after the Great War had ended, Gaea was engulfed in a time of peace that people were now calling the Age of the Four Points. 


	2. Oh Goodness!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Escaflowne! Never have, never will.  
  
Author's note: Hitomi is REALLY out of character for a chunk of this chapter, but remember what pregnancy does to the hormones and there's your answer! Don't forget to review!  
  
The Four Points Part 1  
  
1 Month After the Four Points Treaty: "Is she alright? She's gonna be okay right? Is there anything I can do? I should be doing something." Van babbled at the servant carrying more fresh blankets into the room, trying to get a peak at his wife to see if she was okay. You're screaming up a racket, are you sure you're okay? Van sent his thought drifting to his wife and waited for her answer.  
  
This is a completely natural process and-UR!!! YOU WOULD BE SCREAMING TOO IF IT WERE HAPPENING TO YOU!!!!! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!! I HATE YOU!!! STAY OUT OF THIS ROOM!! Hitomi's thoughts became flooded with anger as she experienced another contraction. He heard glass breaking against the door.  
  
Good thing I'm shielded. I hope she'll be okay! He grabbed a servant coming out of the room and started asking a bunch of hurried questions, as she tried to calm him down. The servant led him out into the corridor and down the hall into another room, all the while being bombarded by frantic questions from Van.  
  
"You should wait here while we attend to your wife. She will be perfectly fine. We have the best midwife in all of Fanelia to make sure she and your baby will be all right. You have all the servants in this wing of the palace attending to her needs. Nothing will go wrong Van-sama I assure you. Now stay in this room where you won't be underfoot," the servant sat him down on a plush couch, where he stayed staring blankly, feeling extremely out of sorts.  
  
He sent another tentative thought Hitomi's way. Hitomi? Are you doing okay?   
  
This is not the TIME Van! I can't talk now I'm kind of busy!  
  
Van spent another two hours sitting on the plush couch. Of course it seemed like days to him. Then he heard the plaintive screaming of a baby and the sounds of pounding feet.  
  
Several flushed servants burst into the room, dragged him to his feet, and he was running down the hall, through the entranceway to the royal chamber. He stopped in the middle of the room and gaped at the scene before him.  
  
Hitomi sat on their large bed, drowning in pillows and swathed in blankets that held remnants of blood. He paled significantly at the thought of Hitomi bleeding, whether it was a "natural process" or not.  
  
"Stop gaping there and come see your child, Van," Hitomi looked up from the bundle of blankets in her arms and motioned Van to come stand beside her. Several of the servants scurried to pull up chairs, but Van just kneeled beside the bed, oblivious to the rest of the world outside of his wife and his newborn child.  
  
The baby was sleeping now, moving its hands and feet absently. It's so small, Van sent still in awe.  
  
Babies are usually small, Hitomi answered, sounding amused. Her name is Yuri  
  
"Yuri," Van said out loud, testing the name. Then something clicked. "Her name?"  
  
"The baby is a girl," Hitomi said, sounding slightly worried. "Are you disappointed?"  
  
Disappointed? Yuri is my child. I could not be disappointed whether it was a boy or a girl. Now I have an heir, and no one else will be disappointed either. Van radiated resolution. Yuri would be his heir and if anyone tried to argue he would say the same thing he said when he married Hitomi. If they don't like it they can send me a letter, and I'll get back to them as soon as the world ends.  
  
Hitomi laughed in reply, radiating amusement at the stubbornness inherent in the statement and the jut of his chin. "No one is brave enough to argue with you a second time. There is a limit to how much luck a person can have," Hitomi said beaming down at both of them.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey Boss! Here's a letter from the young king and Hitomi. Talk about R.S.V.P. we haven't even gotten around to mailing those invitations yet!" Gaddes stood in the doorway of Allen Schezar's study. At his motion to come in Gaddes handed him the letter and turned to go hoping Allen hadn't been listening to the part about the invitations.  
  
"Thank you Gaddes, maybe you should go attend to the invitations now," Allen said, keeping an imposing look on his face that Gaddes saw through immediately. Without waiting for a reply from him Allen took a letter opener from the top drawer of his desk and slit the top of the emerald green envelope with one deft movement.  
  
He heard the door to the study close as Gaddes left, hopefully to go order some one to mail those wedding invitations, but it was highly doubtful. At this rate it's only going to be Queen Eries, the priest, and I there to see us get married. Allen thought absently as he unfolded the letter and looked at the messy scrawl. He could barely recognize it as Van's handwriting. He must have been in a frenzy when he wrote this. Allen thought, slightly more alert, preparing himself for bad news.  
  
Allen Schezar: I have great news!!!!! We had a baby!! Well, Hitomi had the baby but it was mine, too. Her name is Yuri! It's a girl and she's my heir I don't care what anyone else says! I was so worried that Hitomi wouldn't be all right but she kept screaming at me to leave her alone and all the servants kept telling me she'd be fine and everything. I'm so happy! Will you please come to visit us and see the baby? Hitomi and I would really like you to come see Yuri. Sincerely, Van Slanzar de Fanel  
  
He smiled at Van's babbling. He was obviously very excited when he wrote this. There was more though. He was glad to see this part was in Hitomi's neater and more competent handwriting.  
  
P.S. I was wondering how things were going with Queen Eries? Last time Van and I came to Asturia I noticed something between you two. I think you two would be a good match; call it women's intuition.  
  
Women's intuition indeed, Allen thought, grinning at her mother-henning. Hitomi would be pleasantly surprised when she received the invitation. Allen could imagine the look of shock on Van's face. He might even fall off his chair when he heard that Allen Schezar was getting married. He chuckled happily.  
  
* * *  
  
"Eriya did you read this? Hitomi had a baby girl! Named Yuri!" Folken ran over the top of the hill, waving the letter from Van wildly in his right hand, while he dragged a hapless and slightly annoyed Naria along with his left.  
  
Eriya was sitting on a bed of soft moss in the shade of a large tree. She was reading a history book telling about obscure religious groups. Eriya liked to read about that sort of thing. The stuff some people believed was so bizarre it was almost like fantasy.  
  
"Really? How is Hitomi?" Eriya enquired lazily, still half immersed in the world of books. Naria flopped down beside her sister and rolled her eyes in Folken's direction.  
  
"Van says she's doing fine. Hitomi enquired about your health, Naria. She said having children doesn't look so painful after you've lived through it," Folken said shielding his eyes from the bright sun. He reflected on how the weather had improved in the area of the Mystic Valley since Atlantis had fallen. Perhaps it was another gift from Altasni as she got her strength back.  
  
"I suppose that qualifies as advice for me. I'm grateful I still have several months before I have to have these children," Naria stated, putting a hand on the bulge in her stomach protectively.  
  
"Yes- children?" Folken asked suspiciously, as he reclined beside Naria and Eriya.  
  
"I am having twins of course. It is in our family history. I can tell since I am a twin, and their mother besides," Naria said matter-of-factly. Eriya placed her hand over Naria's on her belly. Folken had to admit that it was a rather large bulge considering she was only five months pregnant, not that he was an expert or anything. That means they're both going to have twins? Oh gods help me!! What have I gotten myself into?  
  
"Don't worry Folken I'm not going to have babies for awhile. I'm not even pregnant, unlike some other people," Eriya said giving Naria an angry look.  
  
"Eriya is still jealous because I get to have the first children. I guess she feels she's always second because she is the younger twin," Naria shrugged as if she was uncaring, but at the same time she patted Eriya's hair in a comforting way. Don't worry Eriya your turn will always come; I'll make sure of that, Naria sent.  
  
To be continued!  
  
Please review. Don't make me beg! I will if I have to but I really don't want to get grass stains on my knees so just review okay? 


	3. The Trouble Begins

Disclaimer: Roses are red, violets are blue, I no own, so you no sue!  
  
Author's Note: Notice the dramatic leap in time for this chapter. Please review if you like the story! Or even if you didn't! I will be your slave forever!!!  
The Four Points Part 2  
  
Four Years After the Four Points Treaty:  
  
A flood of grief fell over him, like a choking shroud, cutting off his breath. He grabbed his throat and sank to his knees at the servant's feet, panting in panic, clutching at the man's robes.  
  
"When did she go missing? When?"  
  
"King Isaac, are you all right?"  
  
"Tell me! When did she go missing?"  
  
"She was playing out in the courtyard this morning. Since then no one has seen her. All the servants thought she was just playing hide-and-seek, waiting in some small place for people to find her," the servant replied quickly, trying to help the frantic king of Zaibach stand up while still showing the proper amount of revelry.  
  
"Hide-and-seek." the king said blankly, beyond reason, or even worry, having exhausted himself already.  
  
"We searched the whole fortress and we could find no sign of her. The dogs are trying to sniff her out now," the servant's voice fell on dull ears. The king managed to pull himself into a chair before he passed out altogether. His daughter was gone. How could he live? Without her he couldn't.  
  
Unknown to King Isaac of Zaibach, his wife Queen Fortuna entered the room. She sneered down at her husband. The stupid weak man didn't deserve control. He was hardly as intelligent as she. I am much more qualified to rule. Why did I come down here? Ah, yes. My daughter.  
  
"What is going on?"  
  
"We believe your daughter may have been kidnapped."  
  
"Have you searched the fortress?"  
  
"Yes Milady, but we found nothing. The dogs are sniffing her out now."  
  
"That's it? Nothing definite? No other information or clues besides that?"  
  
"-"  
  
She brought up her hand in a jerky motion for silence.  
  
"Summon me when you shit heads know something definite. And attend to him," she threw the last comment over her shoulder as an afterthought. Thank god she didn't have to deal with him.  
  
* * *  
  
Van leaned back in his chair in a relaxed fashion. Nothing gave away the fact that he was anything but relaxed, Hitomi knew him so well his feelings were always obvious to her. Besides their minds were linked; she could feel what he felt all the time. Hitomi glanced at the letter in his hand. What does it say? Why was it so important that you brought it to bed with you? You only do that when something important is happening that could affect Fanelia in a very grave way. Tell me. She pleaded with him silently but Van sent no reply. He was completely ignoring her. Hitomi suddenly became very angry. VAN! LISTEN TO ME!!! I'M NOT A COMPLETE IDIOT!!! I MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP DID YOU EVER THINK OF THAT? Hitomi blasted the thought with all the force she could muster. If he wouldn't respond to quiet pleas then she wouldn't plead anymore, she would order!  
  
Van's back snapped rigid as if some one had poured ice water down his shirt, his eyes wide and his face twisted into an expression of complete shock. After the initial shock had passed Van sighed deeply and plopped back onto the pillows.  
  
"I liked you a lot better before your political training started," Van said with a crooked smile. "You never ordered anybody, you just suggested or asked politely."  
  
"You weren't responding to that," Hitomi said dryly, but with a slight trace of amusement in her voice.  
  
"This letter that I hold in my hand pertains to the kidnapping of the only child of Zaibach, Princess Suzuki," Van said in a voice that sounded suddenly weary. "The Emperor of Zaibach calls on me to help him find his daughter. I don't know how to reply to this. I'm not specifically obligated by the Four Points Treaty to help him with personal matters but the problem could be construed as a matter of the political stability of Zaibach, and I am obligated to help Zaibach in events of political instability."  
  
Hitomi looked away for a moment thinking hard, weighing the possibilities as she had been taught to do. If Van didn't help then the Emperor could go back on the treaty and attack any one of the other three countries involved in the treaty. If Van did help then the Emperor could possibly accuse Fanelia of tampering with the investigation, which would also leave Zaibach free to terminate the treaty. Then again who was to say it was a plot to trap Van and Fanelia? Maybe the Emperor was terribly distraught and was simply in need of help. Fanelia was a militarily strong country now she and Van had a four-year-old child of their own, which made her sympathetic. In her personal opinion as well as her political opinion it would be best to help Zaibach.  
  
"Those were my general thoughts on the subject. So I will send the Emperor of Zaibach my affirmative reply," Van said putting the letter on a bedside table and snuffing the candle.  
  
All in all it had been a good night's work and Van now had a new appreciation of his wife's abilities to be a political leader. However, he had a nagging feeling that this kidnapping was more than it appeared to be.  
  
* * *  
  
Suzuki woke from a dreamless sleep. She opened her eyes to find herself lying facedown on the cold stone floor. Thinking that she had fallen out of bed she tried to raise herself but stopped suddenly with a small squeal of surprise as pain stabbed at her arms and sides. Her chin hit the ground hard as her arms fell out from under her.  
  
Suzuki began to take inventory. She slowly lifted her left arm. There was pain there, a subtle ache; it was probably bruised, nothing more. Then she lifted her right arm and once again she felt sharp and terrible pain. She set her right arm down again and breathed slowly for several minutes, to calm down as one of her nurses had taught her to. It must be broken, Suzuki concluded. She pressed her side with her left arm and felt a sharp pain and some wetness. She lifted her hand in front of her face and saw red. She felt her side again and felt along it to find the source of the blood. A sudden pang and yellow and reddish bursts of light forming before her eyes told her she had found the wound. Judging by the pain it was relatively deep. If she didn't get something for it there was no doubt that it would soon be infected in this diseased place.  
  
That thought brought her attention away from her body for a brief moment and to her surroundings. She did not have the strength or the inclination to lift her head so she just rolled her eyes to the left and right to get a general idea of where she was being held.  
  
The floor was covered in old straw. To her left she could see the corner of what she assumed was a bed. In front of her was a large wooden door. At least it looked large from her vantage point on the floor. The floor was made out of stones placed together, like they were in a palace or mansion of another country, like Fanelia. She had been to Fanelia when her father was negotiating with the other Kings. This place didn't feel like Fanelia though. It felt like someplace she'd never been before.  
  
Suzuki heard footsteps and the sound of a large key rattling in a lock. She closed her eyes, hoping no one would hurt her if she were unconscious.  
  
The door swung open, she was so close to the door that it almost hit her. For a moment nothing happened, then she was unable to help herself, she opened one eye just a little. She saw a lady's red shoes directly in front of her face.  
  
"Don't try to fool me like that. I can see that you are not unconscious, though you were recently, due to these fools manhandling," it was the lady with the red shoes speaking, her voice soft and imposing. Suzuki half- expected her to spit venom at the soldiers, whose feet she could see at the limit of her vision, standing behind Red-Shoes. "Don't worry about anything, I am your caretaker and I have no intention of hurting you."  
  
Red-Shoes stepped to the left of Suzuki, out of her field of vision and she felt a pain in her side as the woman examined her wound. Several soldiers stepped forward then turned and left without a word. Suzuki assumed Red- Shoes had gestured for a doctor.  
  
Suzuki felt herself being lifted carefully. Her head lolled toward the floor. She saw herself rise away from the stone jigsaw of the floor and then she started to go down toward it again. Her back met soft fabric and the woman placed her head at a more comfortable angle. For the first time Suzuki could see Red-Shoes' face. 


	4. Shadow Lady

Author's Note: Please find it somewhere deep deep deep in your kind hearts to review my story. Or I will have to hypnotize you and review for you to boost my ego.  
The Four Points Part 3  
  
Eriya was once again under the tree on the large bed of moss, but her book had changed and so had she, as it had been about four years since that day when she had heard of the birth of Yuri, Fanelia's heir. Folken was attending to his royal duties which were always horribly boring and Naria had her hands full (and then some) attending to her motherly duties. The twins were almost four now, talking and walking, and getting into all kinds of messes. They were noisy, frequently annoying, and every moment spent with them was a painful reminder of her lack of children.  
  
Naria had all the luck in the family, it seemed. Folken and Naria were both positive that she was capable of having children, she simply hadn't yet. But why not? If I'm capable why haven't I? Eriya perked up her ears as she heard something approaching her from behind. She sniffed the air, while staying in exactly the position she had been, appearing relaxed so as not to give away her awareness. Then she identified her would be attacker by smell and the sides of her mouth curved upward marginally in a slight smile. She waited for her attacker to come to her.  
  
Suddenly, she felt little pinpricks in her shoulder. "Got-"  
  
Eriya put her arm behind her got hold and pulled. A little body went flying over her shoulder and landed in a tangle of furry body parts. She eyed her niece Kali with a stern look for a moment before chuckling and getting to her feet.  
  
"You were saying?"  
  
"Aw, Aunt Eriya I was jus' playin'," Kali said and giggled, folding her hands behind her back and smiling winningly.  
  
"Where's your mother?" Eriya said getting down to business the way she usually did when talking to the twins, especially Kali, the more playful of the two.  
  
"She told me to tell you to come back to the castle," Kali said in an important sounding tone, then she giggled again. She was obviously enjoying this chance to get out of the castle and away from her lessons, and her mother's helpers. Naria taught her children herself mostly but often she had other things to attend to and then her "helpers" took over. Kali and her brother Kole (pronounced like coal) disliked the helpers because they made them sit still and learn things like proper speech.  
  
Eriya was not alarmed by this message due to the child's happy mood and the fact that this sort of thing happened all the time. Naria could have sent for her simply to have Eriya's presence nearer to her. The tree Eriya had chosen, as her special hide away was a fair distance from the castle, to prevent her from being disturbed. As a matter of fact it was a fairly long way for a three year old to travel without side tracking.  
  
"How long ago was that?" Eriya asked, in a light tone, as if only curious.  
  
Kali put her finger in her mouth, and screwed up her face, making an elaborate show of thinking. If there was one thing to be said about Kali, it was her ability to make people believe she was stupider than she was. Of course Eriya was not fooled by anything Kali did.  
  
"Uuuuuuuuuuuumm. recently?" Kali replied evasively, putting her hands behind her back again, cutely. Eriya wasn't impressed.  
  
"How recently?"  
  
Kali shrugged and started skipping back to the castle, preventing Eriya from continuing the interrogation (Eriya was not very disappointed at that seeing as she couldn't get a real answer out of the child).  
  
About 15 minutes later she pushed open a little known door that led into a small hallway. This was one of those doors that the architects would have been better off leaving out. It was one of those doors that few knew about and even fewer used. As far as Eriya could smell, no one besides herself had used the door for several months. Eriya preferred to slip in and out quietly rather than having people force open the huge castle doors for just two people.  
  
The end of her train of thought found her at the entrance to Folken's study, where she sensed her sister's presence. She became slightly confused. The study was where most of the important business was discussed. It was unlikely that Naria would go there to discuss something unimportant or private. She took a breath and opened the door hoping what her sister had called her for wasn't bad news.  
  
The scene that greeted her was not reassuring. Five grim faces looked up from their private worlds as she entered the room, Eriya's face turning ashen as she looked for any sign of reassurance on any face and found none. She hardened herself and let go of her false hopes.  
  
* * *  
  
Kole walked through the hallways, trying to slink and walk only in shadows. He was positive that he was doing well since he had managed to slip away from his helpers and no one had seen him since then. He wasn't quite sure where he was going but he knew that something fishy was going and it required some one smart like him to figure it out. He had to show his sister that he wasn't a stupid whimp, like she always said.  
  
He was following the shadow lady with the bright red shoes. He knew she must be the source of the fishiness and he would find out what she was up to. She was traveling in little bursts always around the next corner or down the next corridor flitting out of sight just in time for him to get a small glimpse of her, the only he saw was her shoes.  
  
He no longer recognized where he was going but he wasn't afraid; the shadow lady was his only concern. Kole didn't stop to consider that he didn't know where he was. He didn't stop to consider that it wasn't a good idea to chase people who were "fishy". He didn't stop to consider that no one was around, no one to hear him scream, and he didn't stop to consider that he may never see his family again. 


	5. Clandestine Meeting

Disclaimer: Naturally, being that I'm a sixteen year old teenager, I don't own Escaflowne, or any of the characters from that show, that are present in this story.  
  
Note: There are two footnote type things in this chapter. When you see the asterisks, look down for vaguely amusing comments!!! Yay! Oh, and reviews are good and I apologize for the long wait, what can I say, I'm a lazy b***h.  
  
The Four Points Part 5  
  
It was what would have been Friday night if this story took place on Earth, so naturally all the taverns were full. The one in question, called the Tumbler, was beginning to get rowdy. As a man was flung against the table to her left, spilling beer all over the floor she drummed her fingers on the table and wrinkled her nose in disgust. She was beginning to think that there was a double meaning behind the Tumbler. The smell of watered down beer and fish oil lamps hung like a cloak over the room.  
  
"Not really your kind of place is it?" The voice seemed to come out of nowhere taking her completely by surprise. However she was carefully trained never to let her emotions show unless they were beneficial, such as anger, which inspired fear and obedience. She looked to her right and found another woman leaning against the wall wrapped in a dark cloak that covered her features from view.  
  
"What have you to report to me tonight? Sit and tell me," the woman spoke in a polite enough voice but with her it was never a good sign. It meant her mind was alert and her temper aroused. The other woman sat without fear, and ordered a drink from a passing waiter.  
  
"The children trust me now. I have them all in the palm of my hand. When will you need them?" She shifted, lounging comfortably in her seat.  
  
"Just a few more thing s need to be attended to and then I will need them. Has anything been going wrong with any of them?" The first woman put no particular emphasis on the question, but it made the other uneasy.  
  
"No. Why do you ask?"  
  
"I ask because I know that you are lying to me. Do you think that I don't know when things have been going wrong?" The other woman leaned forward and grabbed the other woman's hand imposingly.  
  
"They are only dreams. I will have Kole under control in days," the other woman said her eyes growing hard and cold.  
  
"They are dreams of home. Of his sister, specifically. I know about the special bond that exists between twins even if you do not. I want you to keep him from dreaming again," the first woman spoke in a commanding tone now, challenging the other woman to disobey.  
  
"How do you propose that I do that, Your Majesty?" The second woman looked her in the eye, a look of pure hatred.  
  
With a movement as quick as lightning a knife whizzed through the air and slammed into the back of the second woman's chair, pinning her hood to the back of the chair. Her face was now revealed to the world, scarred from numerous burns covering the entire right side of her face and neck.  
  
"Never call me by my title here. And I'm sure you'll figure something out, Rena. You'd better." With that the woman stood and sauntered out of the tavern, leaving Rena pinned to the chair by her hood.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The wagon train moved a long the muddy dirt road, spraying the horses traveling beside the wagons with muddy water. The sky was overcast but shed no rain as yet. The water dropping from the trees all around them was a good enough substitute.  
  
Jamaea thought irately as what seemed like a small flood dripped from the hood of her cloak and onto the neck of her horse. Her hands were stiff, nearly frozen onto the reins. Though it hurt she flexed her fingers and ran her hand along her horse's smooth neck.  
  
Jabya was the clan leader. He had only been his position for five years and Jamaea had been there the whole time. He had always strictly obeyed the tradition of hitching down (staying camped) during bad weather. A large raindrop plopped onto the top of her cloak and soaked through to her scalp.   
  
She kicked her horse into a trot heading toward Jabya's wagon, which was at the head of the train. She was jolted sharply as her horse's foot plunged into a puddle, splashing her leg with water. She growled deep in her throat and tightened her grip on the reins.  
  
As she approached his wagon she slowed her horse and called his name.  
  
"Jabya! Jabya-" She broke off as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her to find the very person that she wanted to see.  
  
"Jabya this is ridiculous! It's wet, it's cold, and I can just feel a cold coming on. Why in the name of -" Jamaea was interrupted again as Jabya placed a finger on her lips. She backed up her horse and both his finger and he sighed.  
  
"Listen, I know what I'm doing and maybe a little misery will take the edge off your tongue Jamaea," he elbowed her playfully and smiled.  
  
"If you think a little flirtation is going to get me off your back, Jabya you got another thing coming!" Her tone was rough but inside she was beaming. She could feel the color seeping into her cheeks, and was glad of the cover of her cloak. "If you're going to herd us along like a bunch of cattle and force us to endure the water and the mud and the sticking wheels you should at least give us a legitimate reason!"  
  
"I do. All I can ask is that you trust me. I would also like to refrain from inciting a rebellion against me." He smiled again and pushed his horse ahead. Jamaea grumbled to herself as she watched him ride ahead taking his position at the head of the train.  
  
"Jamaea! Hey Jamaea get over here! The wheel's stuck!"  
  
She sighed deeply. I  
  
Rena sat at her desk drumming her fingers angrily, reflecting on her week. Frankly, it had sucked big time. They still hadn't gotten hold of the last child and Kole's dreams had become a real problem. He had woken up every night this week, crying and telling of his mother and how he had seen her crying, his aunt at her side trying to comfort her.  
  
The mention of the two of them was not pleasant. She brushed the side of her face and her hands balled into fists. The memory seemed to come alive in her mind of its own accord.  
  
"Nooo!! Die traitors!" Chaos erupted in one section of the audience to the left of the stage. Two figures blurred onto the platform, motions so perfectly attuned that they were barely distinguishable from each other. One gold and one silver.  
  
"Galne lookout!" Rena shouted a warning but too late. The two figures fell on him, slashing his throat before he could even turn around to see what the danger was. Galne fell, choking and gasping out his last breaths. (I'm sure he was getting a strong feeling of deja vu).  
  
"Galne!" Rena screamed in rage and leaped at the two figures with no weapons but her bare hands.  
  
Naria and Eriya swiped her out of the air with two powerful arm movements made as one. She landed up against the side of the machine.  
  
Suddenly things began to whir and move as the machine was activated. Altasni thought in silent horror, frozen in place by fear and twisted fascination.   
  
An enormous but highly centralized explosion split the air, obliterating Galne's shriveled remains and the righteous leopard twins.   
* * * * * * * * Her fingernails dug into her palm until they drew blood and she unclenched her hand. Those two catgirls. She ran a hand over her scar again* and smiled wickedly**. She could find comfort in the fact that she would have a small measure of revenge on their son. I will definitely enjoy bleeding that little pr**k dry.  
  
She was sorry about the other children but there wasn't a thing she could do to help them. The Queen said they were to be sacrificed through bleeding. (by that I mean they will cut the children and let the blood run until they bleed to death. Nice people huh?) So Rena would bleed them. After all she did owe that bitch just a little. She had taken her out of the slums (remember the epilogue?) and she was being paid no small sum for this job too.  
  
Despite all that she had a vaguely bad feeling about this, and a people who were once capable of predicting the future should always trust their instincts.  
  
~end of chapter~  
  
*reminding you of anyone? ** chiku chiku chiku etc 


	6. Send Me Home

Disclaimer: Roses are usually red, I never seen a violet so I don't know if they're blue, I don't own Escaflowne, so please don't sue.  
  
Notes: Once again the asterisk, but this time the comment is informative. Also, I reiterate all my previous of comments about reviews, which can be summed up as follows: I love them, so please review.  
  
The Four Points Part 6  
  
Kali lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling. She hardly saw the ceiling at all, as she just stared. She was concentrating hard, probing her mind for her brother Kole. She hungered for any sign from him, any sign at all.  
  
She knew that he was far away, almost too far for her to reach him at all, despite the strength of their bond*. They never really talked; they just shared their feelings, and pictures sometimes too. What she really wanted from him was a picture of where he was. She concentrated on sending to him and then waited for hours, every night for him to send something back.  
  
So far she had not received so much as a glimpse of where he was. At least she knew that he was okay. Surely if he wasn't she would have felt something by now.  
  
Tears filled her eyes and brimmed over and Kali let them run down her face. She closed her eyes as she felt a lump form in her throat.   
  
The room swam and blurred, her eyes went out of focus and she saw something in her mind's eye. At first she hardly realized what was happening then she felt joy, doubled by the fact that Kole felt it too. She watched through Kole's eyes as if they were her own. She was looking out the window of a castle. There was a single mountain in the distance, tall and steep. Then the vision, burst apart and she was looking at a picture of an exploding volcano, that she remembered seeing in one of their children's books. Then she came rushing back to herself. That was all he would send.  
  
Queen Eries woke suddenly from a restless sleep. She sat up and blinked, not knowing what woke her but knowing that something was wrong. Then she thought of Aston and fear seized her.  
  
She threw the blankets off of herself and lunged out of bed, ripping the door open and darting across the hall to Aston's door. She didn't have the key. She pounded the door frantically.  
  
"Guards open the door! Open it! Hurry up! Please hurry!" Eries cried hysterically, still pounding until Allen came up behind her and pulled her away from the door. Her hands were bruised and bleeding. It had been too long; the guards should have opened the door. Allen took a breath and kicked the door in.  
  
Eries screamed at the sight before her and fell to her knees sobbing. The guards were lying on the floor face down in two large puddles of blood. Their throats had been slit from behind. Aston's cradle lay on its side, the blankets strewn across the room. The window was open and a cool breeze stirred the curtain.  
  
"Jamaea come help me with this tent hey?!"  
  
She strode over to her brother, Mikel, and helped him to unload the tents. They were making camp early despite the beautiful weather. It made Jamaea wonder what the reason was behind it all. He had made them ride in rain, and made them ride for longer in a day than ever before, obviously pushing the pace, then all of a sudden, he calls camp in the middle of the afternoon.  
  
What was more, this place seemed oddly familiar. The feeling was akin to having a word on the tip of your tongue but being unable to think of it.  
  
They had also been traveling through populated areas, entering villages and towns to buy supplies and the like, something that was never done. If they needed supplies they sent some one out to get it, most of the clan members never went into a town in their whole lives. Towns made Jamaea very uncomfortable. She felt more at home out in the open camps that her people preferred. Not only that but the way the townspeople treated her made her angry. It was the first time she remembered being in a town and so the first time she had heard the word "beast woman".  
  
Every time some one looked at her with disdain; her ears, her tail, or her stripes and short fur covering her body, it made her face burn. Every time she heard some one use the word "cat woman" she wanted to use her natural weaponry to rip out their throat.  
  
"Don't pull the rope so hard or the tent will be lopsided!" Her brother saw her expression and looked concerned for her. He had seen her anger at the townspeople's reaction to her and though he was not her blood brother he had acted as if he were-coming to her defense using his sharp tongue and putting a hand conspicuously on his dagger, every time the need arose. Mikel was always the most caring of her family, the only one who really seemed to be a brother and not just a friend.  
  
"Surely I would have to sleep in it if it were lopsided, hey?"  
  
"Well I wouldn't," he said with a grin. "Beautiful view we've got."  
  
She looked off to the East where the cover of the trees broke off and they could see the city nestled in the valley below. It looked bigger than any town they had been in so far, and she was certainly not looking forward to entering it. She sighed and lowered her head tying the rope she'd been holding to the peg in the ground and straightening.  
  
"I suppose so," Jamaea said reluctantly.  
  
"But it's better to look at than to go into, hey?"  
  
"I'll go, just like the rest of the clan will go. I just don't want to," she said, wondering if she should tell him the other thing that was bothering her.  
  
"So that's it?" He seemed to realize that there was something else on her mind but he obviously didn't want to bring it out into the open if she didn't want to talk about it. She sighed, deciding that she would have to tell some one eventually.  
  
"I get the feeling that I've been here before. I try to ignore it but it just keeps nagging. It's making me feel all out of sorts," she said in a rush. She brushed her hand through her magenta hair and turned her back, ending the conversation.  
  
"Don't worry, Jamaea, Fanelia is a good place. They won't treat you like that here," Mikel said, returning to their previous topic, finding himself needing to say more about something, to offer her some kind of comfort. But what could he do?  
  
~end chapter~  
  
*it's that twins share minds concept again  
  
NOTE: I reiterate all my previous of comments about reviews, which can be summed up as follows: I love them, so please do! 


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